Editor’s Note: This was originally published for FANGORIA on July 18, 2001, and we’re proud to share it as part of The Gingold Files.
Not long into Jurassic Park III, a planeload of people who have made the foolish choice of traveling to the dinosaur breeding grounds of Isla Sorna wind up crashing into the island’s jungle. Thereupon they are attacked by a gigantic predator, and only about a half-dozen characters survive to scramble from the scene. And instead of being concerned about their plight, all I could think was, “That’s not very many potential dino victims; are there enough to stretch the running time to feature length?” That may seem a callous point of view, but it’s one of the only true dramatic questions raised by Jurassic Park III, a movie that gives the audience even less to chew on than it does its monsters.
As it happens, that running time concern was prophetic. Like Scary Movie 2, this sequel has been pared down to the absolute minimum required for a film of its type—it runs only 84 minutes, plus eight minutes of end titles. Of course, it’s what you do with that hour-and-a-half that counts, and what’s done here is not much. The labors of seven writers (only three of whom are credited on screen) have resulted in a schematic, A-to-B-to-C screenplay peppered with lame dialogue, predictable plot twists (one of which, startlingly, seems lifted from Tobe Hooper’s Crocodile) and dinosaur attacks dropped in like musical numbers. You half expect the creatures to take bows once their scenes are over.
As well they should, since in and of themselves, the monster sequences are first-rate. The special FX are absolutely flawless, and there’s never a moment of doubt that the characters are in fact being chased and chomped on by prehistoric beasts. With no new thematic concerns, the hook here is a fresh crop of creatures, including the flying pteranodons (plus their hungry offspring) and the enormous Spinosaurus, a meat-eater to make the T. rex seem like a wimp. The scene in which the two species do meet and battle, snarling and smashing through the trees, will warm the hearts of anyone who grew up watching King Kong battle the Allosaurus or Godzilla take on all comers.
Trouble is, this setpiece, which should by all rights have been the climactic knockout, occurs less than a half-hour into the movie. And while it’s true that after two films, it would be difficult for this franchise to maintain a sense of mystery about its monsters, the writers and director Joe Johnston barely attempt to suggest their new and improved predator’s menace before bringing it front and center. They also tack on the silly gimmick of a ringing satellite phone that heralds the Spinosaurus’ appearance (like the barrels attached to the shark in Jaws), an example of the sequel’s out-of-place humor that reaches its nadir in the sadly inevitable scenes involving dinosaur poop and urine. (Did the Farrelly brothers do uncredited rewrites too?)
As for the people, well, the less said the better. Not that Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Alessandro Nivola, etc. don’t try their best, but their lines are often clunky, and the attempt at “character development” for them is strained, particularly when Macy and Téa Leoni, playing an estranged couple, try to work out their differences in the midst of running for their lives. Macy has complained publicly about the lack of a completed script during shooting, and there’s every suggestion that a lot of the dialogue material was left on the cutting room floor—but then, given the quality of what’s left, that might be just as well.
Undiscriminating dinosaur fans who just want to see the creature action will probably get their money’s worth from Jurassic Park III, and there’s no faulting the film on a technical level. Beyond the FX, the most significant contributor is cinematographer Shelly Johnson, who creates a genuinely threatening jungle atmosphere for the beasts to roam around in. But even the third entry in a franchise—especially the third entry in a franchise—needs more than a couple of fresh species to justify its existence. When The Lost World brought the T. rex to civilization, one had to wonder where else there was to take this series. Jurassic Park III does nothing to refute that question.
